Practice makes perfect
by pinkrockpunkcess
Summary: Chris knew he couldn't slip up, there was too much at stake… But it was going to be weird calling her Piper. One-shot. Set before Season 5 'Oh My Goddess'


**A.N **Hi guys! Just a little one-shot as I've been watching a lot of Season 6 recently. I'm not sure we ever actually find out what exactly happened to Piper, so I've put in my version. Hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer** I do not own Charmed.

Practice makes perfect

"Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper."

Christopher Halliw…_Perry_, took a deep breath as he stared in the small mirror hung on the wall in the back room at P3. Letting it out slowly, he repeated his mantra.

"Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper."

It was almost time. The Titans would've been freed by now, whitelighters would've gone missing. It was almost time and he had had to be ready. He just had to be.

Chris knew he couldn't slip up, there was too much at stake. He _had_ to save the future, he _had_ to save Wyatt. No one else was going to, there was _no one else_ to do it. Aunts, uncles, cousins, friends…all gone.

_Mothers._

He closed his eyes and pushed the images that still haunted him out of his mind.

_'"__But it's my birthday!"_

_"__Chris stop, please," Piper pleads, "Your dad is __so__ sorry you know he'd be here if he could!"_

_"__That's bullshit mom and you know it!"_

_"__Hey don't talk to her like that," Wyatt frowns gripping his shoulder._

_"__Get off of me!" Chris shoves his older brother away, eyes briefly flickering to Melinda clinging to the card she made him, tears in her big brown eyes but he doesn't care about that right now. "I'm out of here."_

_"__Christopher Perry Halliwell don't you __dare__ orb out of here!" Piper snaps._

_"__I'm going!"_

_"__You are 14 I say whether you can-" She is cut off by his orbs, he doesn't hear her let out a sob of frustration, doesn't hear Wyatt swear angrily at how selfish 'Leo' is._

_He doesn't see the demon pack attack, his mother scream at Wyatt to orb a terrified Melinda to safety. He only sees the aftermath, feels the pain as soon as his mother is hit. Sees the hole in her chest that Wyatt can't heal, that __Wyatt__ can't heal who is supposed to be so powerful. _

_He hears himself screaming for his dad. His dad that doesn't come until it's too late._

_Mom is dead.'_

Chris gasped and sucked in a breath quickly as he opened his eyes, swiping angrily at his cheeks as hot tears slide down them.

He never celebrated another birthday again after that day.

"P-Piper. Piper….Piper."

This is why Chris knows he can't get too close. He has to be cold, shut off, aloof. Especially with her. He can _never_ let her in because he knows he will slip up. He'll grab her into a hug and bury his face in her hair, beg her to call him Peanut and call her mommy and then it will all be for nothing.

He has to focus. Saving Wyatt is all that's important. It was going to be weird calling her Piper, but he had to do it. Which was why it was always important to practice, practice, practice.

"Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper."

Chris knew he wouldn't have the same issue with Leo. Ever since he was 10 years old he had stopped calling the man 'dad'. Wyatt started it of course, even though Wyatt was clearly the favoured child with the whitelighter it was Wyatt who turned against him first. But Wyatt was smarter about it, he never let on. He would smile and nod when Leo told him about charges, how rewarding it was and how _proud_ he was that Wy wanted to be a whitelighter too.

But Chris knew better. Wyatt didn't give a tiny rats ass about helping people. Except family of course, but that changed.

No, Leo would always be Leo. Chris knew he would _not_ slip up on that one.

It would be hard not to call the others _Aunt_ Phoebs or _Aunt _Paige too. Hard not to picture their headstones, or the bodies of their children, or the grieving faces of their husbands. Hard, but Chris could do it. He could shut himself off from all of that.

Cold. Aloof.

But mom?

That was going to be the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

"Piper. Piper. Piper. Piper….Piper."


End file.
